


The Kitten in the Bush

by Adams_Riddle



Series: Cats adopting Characters [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animal Rescue, Cat, Fluff, Gen, Kitten, Less than 1000 words, Mostly Canon Compliant, Oneshot, in which Harry has a huge heart, set during prisoner of azkaban
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26498869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adams_Riddle/pseuds/Adams_Riddle
Summary: Harry runs away from the Dursleys, but finds a small friend along the way. (Oneshot! My friend prompted me saying she wanted a "character rescues animal" short story!)
Series: Cats adopting Characters [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930147
Kudos: 12





	The Kitten in the Bush

It was difficult to slam the door behind him while dragging his trunk and holding his wand in the other hand to keep Uncle Vernon at bay, but Harry somehow managed it. It was getting late, nearly 10pm as he strode angrily away from his relative’s house. He found his way to the play park and dropped his trunk, slumping down onto one of the swings with an explosive sigh.

Aunt Marge had pushed one comment too far, the words echoed in his ears even now, “If there’s something wrong with the  _ bitch…  _ there’s something wrong with the pup.”

Harry kicked the ground and swung back and forth on the swing for a bit. It was still warm even though it was dark out, a kind summer evening. It took him a little while for his heart to calm down, and for him to register that he wasn’t entirely sure what to do next.

He brought one hand to his mouth and nibbled on his fingernail - a bad habit - his other hand still held his wand and he tapped it against his thigh nervously.

Before his panic could reach any real height, a rustling noise nearby distracted him. He stood and peered at the bush, something was stuck in the overgrown hydrangea. He worried it could be a rat or something, and squinted, then it cried out in distress with a pitiful meow.

Forgetting his situation for a moment, Harry dropped down to his knees and reached into the bush, dropping his wand to untangle the cat - no, it was tiny, it had to be a kitten still - from the many branches.

It made a noisy protest, until he finally freed it and started picking off foliage from it’s fur. Harry’s hands shook as he held the tiny form against his chest - the kitten was too small still to escape his grasp, and felt a touch too cold to him, the only logical thing was to hold the cat to his chest and zip up his hoodie half of the way, trying to warm up the animal.

He hushed the kitten and stroked it’s head, feeling the small triangular ears, the fur softer than anything else he’d ever felt. His heart almost seized wondering how the small kitten had ended up stuck in the bush - it was something he could imagine Dudley and his friends doing - but as the kitten settled against him, he felt relief.

He picked up his wand and returned to his trunk, he had to get to Diagon Alley and get some pet supplies as soon as possible. He only hoped Hedwig would forgive him for picking up another pet.

His eyes scanned the skies, and the area seemed calm - he wondered if he could get away with flying to London under his invisibility cloak. The thought deserted him when a loud bark sounded from across the road, startling him badly enough that he fell back towards his trunk, brandishing his wand wildly.

**BANG!**

A bright purple bus was suddenly in front of him, the kitten stirred curiously and poked it’s head out of his hoodie at the ticket man. The kitten meowed.

“Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard… What’re you doing down there?” The man asked. Harry stood quickly, cradling the cat still, and made sure his wand was secure in his pocket. He grabbed the handle of his trunk.

He could work with this. Bizarre animals aside, he had a way out of Little Whinging, and he’d be taking it.

~

**Author's Note:**

> And that's that. I know it’s not amazing writing, but it was a work of 20minutes to break writers block for my main story Wanderlust haha. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this :)


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